Parental Bonding
"Parental Bonding" is the second episode of the TV-series, Danny Phantom. Danny tries his might to ask Paulina out on a date while trying to fend off a ghost dragon at the same time. Episode Recap Danny goes to his father in the Fenton lab before school, eying Jack and his newest invention - the Fenton Ghost Fisher. Jack has to leave for a moment to use the restroom so he plants the fisher on Danny to hold until his return. It snags a ghost which Danny reels to reveal a dragon ghost. He gets on the defensive and fights the dragon until her amulet comes off of her, ending up inside Danny's backpack—unbeknownst to both. The dragon reverts to that of a ghost girl from Medieval times who only desires to go to the prince's costume ball, leaving Danny completely baffled upon her exit. Later at school, news is already underway throughout the students on the upcoming school dance. Both Danny and Tucker are excited despite their lack of dates while Sam proceeds to display her utter displeasure towards both the dance and being asked out. She is interrupted (and irritated) when Danny and Tucker eye the class beauty, Paulina. With a push from Tucker, Danny awkwardly tries to ask her to the dance, but his nervous behavior triggers his ghost powers, causing his pants to fall. Paulina and the entire student body laughs at Danny, the former making a quip towards him until Sam confronts her. She fights back by calling her shallow, a word Paulina takes offense to. As an act of revenge, she vows to take Danny away from Sam. Paulina confronts Danny at his locker later on until Dash interrupts and shoves him into it to flirt with her. An invisible and angry Danny sneaks behind Dash only to discover his power of possessing people. He overshadows Dash and embarrasses him in front of Paulina. A dazed Dash walks off afterwards while Paulina frees Danny from his locker, the amulet from earlier dropping out of Danny's backpack as he falls. Paulina immediately sees it and with a fib from Danny that he got it for her, she agrees to go to the dance with him. As she walks away, her eyes, as well as the amulet, glow. Danny's pants fall down once again, which gets him in trouble with Mr. Lancer, now wanting to discuss this matter with his parents. Too afraid to confront his currently frustrated father (when his Fenton fisher has yet to snag a ghost), Danny overshadows him, and takes him to the conference where he is let off easily by flattering Lancer. Enjoying his style, Lancer insist on him chaperoning the school dance. Danny, Sam, and Tucker are at the same mall as Paulina who's currently shopping for a shirt, still donning the amulet. Admiring a limited edition shirt and with nothing left in her size, she becomes furious, unleashing the amulet's power and the dragon within. Danny fights the dragon, enough to revert Paulina back to her normal self causing her to not remember her events as a dragon (but acquiring the shirt she desired). Shortly afterwards, Tucker gets himself a date with Valerie Gray when her previous partner, Kwan, asked someone else. The trio research the amulet on the internet before the dance, learning that extreme distress or anger leads the wearer of the amulet to trigger its power and transforms them into a dragon. Danny immediately recognizes the amulet as the one he gave to Paulina (prior to that, he assumed the necklace belong to either his mother or sister) and so forth has the mission of obtaining it back from her. Sam once again displays her hatred for the dance to which Danny concludes she secretly desires to go, so by possessing Tucker, he gets her to go as his date saying Valerie stood him up to which Sam eagerly agrees. Danny goes with Paulina, trying to get back the amulet and deal with his father whom he has to constantly overshadow during the dance. There, Danny lies about the amulet, saying it belongs to Sam, angering Paulina. A panicking Danny quickly tells Tucker to keep an eye on his father while Sam tries to find Paulina. She catches her in the restroom and apologizes for calling her shallow. Learning that Sam is just Danny's friend and not girlfriend as she previously assumed, Paulina gives the amulet back to Sam (by placing it around her neck) and confesses how she played with Danny's heart to get back at Sam and is now going to dump Danny. Sam gets furious at Paulina for using Danny which instantly turns her into the dragon and kidnaps Paulina who faints upon seeing her. Discovering the dragon, Danny fights it off (later discovering it to be Sam) and manages to capture her with the Fenton Fisher, tying her up and pulling the amulet off. With the date gone bust, Sam asks Danny for one last dance and he accepts stating that he'd love to. While Danny and Sam slow dance, as seen in the picture, Tucker complains on his lack of finding a date again. The ghost girl (Dora) then appears who still wishes to go to the ball, causing Tucker to decide he's in no hurry for a date. Allusions * Title: "Parental Bonding" refers to a person attempting to get along and "bond" with their parents. * When Danny (overshadowing Jack) tells Mr. Lancer, "It's just in this light, I thought you were George Clooney", he's referring to the actor/director/producer, known for his dashing looks. *In Sam's room, there is a poster for the film A Clockwork Orange. Casting David Kaufman as Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom Ricky D'Shon Collins as Tucker Foley Grey DeLeslie as Sam Manson, Valerie Gray, Princess Dorothea Colleen O’Shaughnessey as Jazz Fenton Rob Paulson as Jack Fenton Kath Soucie as Maddie Fenton Ron Perlman as Mr. Lancer Maria Canals Barrera as Paulina Kevin Michael Richardson as the Dragon Ghost Trivia/Goofs * Introduced Ghost Powers: Overshadowing. * After being thrown through the bleachers, Paulina can be very briefly seen still wearing the amulet when it's supposed to be Sam who currently dons it. * This is the only episode that Danny turns into mist to escape an enemy (the Dragon Ghost). * Sam suffers from some wardrobe malfunctions through this episode: When Sam sarcastically states to Danny at the mall, "Does he have to take off his pants and act like a dweeb or will either one do?", when she's shown up close, she has pupils and her tank top has sleeves. Also, when Tucker and Sam leave for the dance, Sam is wearing purple pumps with her dress. Later at the dance, she can be seen wearing her combat boots. *In the picture of the amulet that Sam finds on the Internet, the charm is on a long chain instead of a choker. *'1st appearance:' Valerie, Paulina, and Dora the Dragon Ghost *In this episode and in the episode, My Brother's Keeper, Valerie was voiced by Grey DeLisle, not Cree Summers, who voiced her in all other episodes she appears in. The contrast between the two different voices of Valerie is very obvious. *In one scene, Danny puts down his sandwich to stare at Paulina, and right after, one of the bite marks on the sandwich was gone. *When Sam calls Paulina shallow at the beginning of the episode, Danny who was standing beside her in the frame before has disappeared. *During one of Danny's transformations, he is seen without his ghostly glow but regains it just before he takes off. *In the mall as shoppers are running away because of the dragon ghost (Paulina), one of them is seen to be transparent like the dragon. *Sam turning into a dragon under the amulet's influence foreshadows both Sam's and Dora's involvement in the Season 2 episode Beauty Marked. *If you look closely before the camera turns to Paulina there are no napkins on the table they are at but when the camera turns back on Danny, Sam and Tucker there are napkins there. *While in the mall, the shot after Sam told Danny if Tucker had to do the same as he did, Sam's chair is empty, but in the following shot she is back. es:Vínculos paternos Category:Season One Episodes Category:Episodes Category:Episodes focusing on Sam